Prep Boys Basketball: Capital Pulls Away in 56-38 Win Over Bearcats

Images from a nonleague boys basketball game between W.F. West and Capital at W.F. West High School in Chehalis on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017.

NONLEAGUE: Cooper Leads W.F. West With 12, but Bearcats Attempt Only 40 Shots in Loss

By Aaron VanTuyl

avantuyl@chronline.com

Through the first portion of the season, W.F. West has hung its hat on high-energy defense and thriving in the chaos that creates.

Tuesday’s loss to 3A Capital, however, showed what happens when that intensity is missing.

The Cougars had five players score at least 8 points and pulled away in the middle quarters for a 56-38 win in Chehalis, shooting 51 percent from the field and holding the Bearcats to just 40 field-goal attempts.

“We really bank on having a lot more energy than what you saw tonight,” W.F. West coach Chris White said. “That’s really frustrating. More energy means more opportunities for steals and runouts, and we only got 40 shots up, so we’re really disappointed with that.”

The hosts shot 40 percent on those 40 attempts, but managed just 7 points in both the second and third quarters. Capital went on a quick run in the second frame that turned a 14-14 game early in the second to a 10-point halftime lead at 27-17, and W.F. West didn’t convert a shot until nearly halfway through the third quarter to help that lead grow to 17 points.

A 7-0 Cougar run closed out the third period, and Grant Erickson’s bucket seconds into the fourth quarter pushed the advantage to 44-24.

“Shooting 40 shots from the field has not been our M.O. thus far,” White said, “so it was awkward. We want to be physical, and we got out-physicaled in every aspect.”

Dawson Landers led Capital with 15 points, and Erickson finished with 13 and seven rebounds. Chris Penner and Brandin Riedel each added 9.

Bailey Cooper led W.F. West with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Jordan Thomas added 8 points and six boards.

“He asserted himself well,” White said of Cooper. “I thought he played hard.”

The loss drops W.F. West to 5-2 on the season, with both defeats coming at the hands of 3A foes.

“We’ve been able to learn some things from the Kelso loss (on Dec. 5),” White said. “There’s a lot of takeaways from this loss that are Xs and Os and details and stuff that we’ll look at, and rehash out and think about ways to deal with that.”

Capital, a member of the 3A South Sound Conference which improved to 7-1 overall, has now beaten four Evergreen 2A Conference teams (including Centralia, Aberdeen and Tumwater).

“I thought they did a really nice job. Their guards are looking to score, and they kind of know where to be and what they’re looking for,” White said. “Their posts post hard, and I just thought they had a nice chemistry between guards and posts.”

W.F. West is off until Dec. 28. The Bearcats will play two games in Yakima at the SunDome Shootout, facing Lakewood at 3 p.m. on Thursday and playing Burlington-Edison at 3 p.m. on Friday.